Economy, Business and Trade | Now it's confirmed: Stellen prefers to trade in sane

– Åsane has a wide and good commercial offer. Lauritzen says they have stores here that I can’t find in Voss, and besides, they’re easy to park.

We are located in Horisont Shopping Centre. A mother of three pushes her youngest son Edward (10 months) into a stroller in one hand, while in the other she holds a large shopping net.

– Now we’re on a shopping spree while we wait for our Tesla to be finished in the auto shop here. We can ship fast in Voss, but we don’t take home service, she smiles.

Changing shopping style

BA has obtained exclusive figures from DNB, Norway’s largest bank, that show where people from Bergen and Norway most often withdraw their bank cards. The numbers may surprise you.

While people who live in Bergen municipality leave the most money in the city center, the shopping pattern of people from neighboring municipalities is different:

36 percent of Westerners who live outside Bergen prefer sanity when they go shopping. This trend has consolidated over the past three years.

I know a lot of people who travel on missions from Norheimsund and other places to shop at IKEA, says store customer Einar Bodalin. He himself has the Beltima as one of his favourites.

Ytrebygda, which owns a multi-billion dollar Lagunen Storsenter, ranks as the third most popular shopping district in the West. Lagunen had sales of NOK 3.9 billion in 2021 and is the largest shopping mall in the country.

– I chose Åsane before Lagunen. Åsane has Ikea, XXL, and Hennes & Mauritz products, for example. We like to go downtown Bergen, too, but then we eat, go to the theater or to Fløyen, says Vossingen Emily Lauritzen.

This is how we act

This is how much DNB customers use their bank cards in Bergen, broken down by region (numbers 2022):

Westerners who live outside Bergen:

Åsane: 36 percent.
City center (Bergenhaus and Aristad): 32 percent.
Remote areas: 14 percent.
Laxevog (including Bergen West): 11 percent
Fana: 3 percent.
Feelingsdalen 2%.
Arna: 2 percent.

Bergens:

Center (Bergenhaus and Aristad): 39 percent
Mind: 21 percent.
Remote areas: 18 percent.
Laxevog (including Bergen West): 8 percent
Fana: 8 percent.
Feelingsdalen 5%.
Arna: 1 percent.

Source: DNB

The car is important

Bank Manager Anne-Lynn Carlsen at DNB Bergen Sentrum believes the consumption figures reflect our transfer pattern.

– People who live outside Bergen city center may want to use the car to a greater extent for a bigger shopping trip. With Åsane being the most popular, great mobility can play a role. Carlsen says large purchases at Ikea and a number of other specialty stores, along with other errands, probably play an important role here.

She believes that many consumers these days, with soaring food and electricity prices and jumping interest rates, have increased their focus on the larger financial shopping spree.

In Åsane, you don’t have to park in narrow city alleys and walk away from parking garages. Availability in family procedures is important.

The temptations of nightlife

Most Bergen residents still leave a large part of their krona in the Bergenhaus and Aristad districts. Not surprisingly, this applies to food and drink, restaurants and leisure facilities, as DNB’s consumer numbers show.

– Bergen residents prefer the city center because we have a vibrant and attractive business community with good offers. The local business community has done a great job here. Bergen city center has a unique atmosphere. The bank manager analyzed that walking around Marken or Skostredet with a wide range of shops, restaurants and cafes is a very pleasant experience.

– Downtown is not dead

Our spending varies by age and life status.

For a family with young children who live outside the center of Bergen, Åsane will be easy to get to. Parking is easily accessible, and the area has a large and relevant collection. A similar family living downtown will be able to take advantage of the varied offer there, says Ann-Lynn Carlsen.

Steinar Kristoffersen is the Managing Director of Bergen Sentrum AS. He is excited about how many urbanites and residents are choosing to leave them behind during Christmas shopping this year, as he is seen in light of soaring electricity prices, rising interest rates and inflation.

Downtown residents shop the most in their area (77 percent of card usage).

– The city center is dead anyway. We have the most stuff and a varied offering worth spending the money on: trade, food, tours, experiences, and accommodations. Here you can have a good time and live a good life.

General Center notes that the balance between shops and bars has changed in recent years.

Many shops have been converted into service areas. There is a limit to the number of nightclubs we can have in the city center and then it affects the city life during the day. Politicians decide the number of liquor licenses and have a huge impact on what city we should have: a diluted and stretched city core, or a compact and pulsating city, says Steinar Kristoffersen.